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Santyrian
For details see Santyrian Santyrians are humanoid reptiles, standing between 175 and 190cm tall. The females are considerably shorter than the males, often by up to 25-30cm. They have powerfully built legs, but lack strong arms or backs. Both fingers and toes have sharp claws that greatly aid in climbing. Their long tails afford them excellent balance, and they are excellent swimmers, having adapted to a life largely spent fishing by hand. Before the Cevanti Republic conquered their homeland, the tropical island of Santyr, Santyrians mostly lived in small villages built from bamboo, eating fish and hunting for game with javelins. The Cevanti changed all that, enslaving the Santyrians and forcing them to work as pearl divers, farmers and miners, even instituting forced breeding among the lizardfolk in order to sate their ever increasing need for workers. Though the Republic retains an iron grip over Santyr, a new Santyrian culture has sprung up in a rather unlikely place - Silkport. Founded by freed slaves and emigrating Santyrians, the Santyrian Enclave in Silkport has taken on the status of a nation in exile - angling for more influence within the city-state itself while simultaneously striving to free Santyr from the clutches of the Cevanti and return Santyrian rule to their homeland. Starting Area: [[]] / [[]] Nation Imperial Domain of Santyr / Free Santyrian Enclave Government Santyrians struggle for recognition from the bigoted mass of common folk. The Cevanti struggle to hold on to their greatness, even as it withers around them. The Vynn would like to characterize Vynnlant as apart from the Cevanti territories, but privately envy the trappings of civilization... and of empire. The Andrun are locked in stasis - too few in numbers to advance their scientific understanding, but unable to significantly connect with the other races. Physiology Santyrians are humanoid reptiles, standing between 175 and 190cm tall. They have powerfully built legs, but lack strong arms or backs. Both fingers and toes have sharp claws that greatly aid in climbing. Their long tails afford them excellent balance, and they are excellent swimmers, having adapted to a life largely spent fishing by hand. The females are considerably shorter than the males, often by up to 25-30cm. society Before the Cevanti Republic conquered their homeland, the tropical island of Santyr, Santyrians mostly lived in small villages built from bamboo, eating fish and hunting for game with javelins. The Cevanti changed all that, enslaving the Santyrians and forcing them to work as pearl divers, farmers and miners, even instituting forced breeding among the lizard folk in order to sate their ever increasing need for workers. Though the Republic retains an iron grip over Santyr, a new Santyrian culture has sprung up in a rather unlikely place - Silkport. Founded by freed slaves and emigrating Santyrians, the Santyrian Enclave in Silkport has taken on the status of a nation in exile - angling for more influence within the city-state itself while simultaneously striving to free Santyr from the clutches of the Cevanti and return Santyrian rule to their homeland. Religion Santyrians believe in as many things as there are stars in the sky. It is said that the last time a Cevanti scholar tried to count all the different Santyrian gods, spirits and demons, the compilation filled an entire bookcase and was still far from complete when said scholar died of old age. The Santyrians have a somewhat relaxed attitude to the divine, believing it to be mostly capable of handling itself. Economy Santyrians in the Cevanti Republic are generally menial workers, belonging to the poorest parts of the Cevanti Republic, with few exceptions. However, Santyrians are highly intelligent and shrewdly opportunistic, and Santyrian power in Silkport continues to grow, while free Santyrian traders grow ever richer. The stereotype that all Santyrians are thieves has a good deal of truth to it - with their climbing skills, dexterous hands and strong legs built for running away, Santyrians without the means or wits to make it in the world of trade have gravitated towards more shadowy trades in considerable numbers. Technology Santyrians as a whole have virtually no unified technologies. They are scavengers and adapters, making use of the technology and knowledge of others, but rarely inventing anything of their own. Sorcery Santyrians were the ones who taught the art of sorcery to the fledgling Cevanti Republic centuries ago. Though their application of the art was limited to whatever helped the tribe survive, they have since been keen to adapt any scraps of magical knowledge that happens their way from the vast sorcery institutes of the Republic, and Santyrians are enthusiastic and naturally gifted, if unrefined, sorcerers. Military Army There is no standing Santyr army as such, but a considerable number of Santyrians serve in various armies as levy troops or mercenaries. The Free Santyrian Enclave maintains an irregular force of insurgents and volunteers. Navy Neither Santyr nor the Free Enclave can be said to have a standing fleet - the Republic would never permit such a thing for its domain, while the Free Enclave cannot afford to purchase and maintain proper warships. Relations Andrun Though stemming more from their enmity for the Republic than any genuine feelings of brotherhood towards the Santyrians, Andrun is a sponsor in the shadow war waged by the free Santyrian Enclave against Cevanti, supplying them with the ships and weapons that they need to carry out raids on Cevanti slave camps and plantations. Vynn Vynnland has no standing practice of slavery, and the occasional runaway Santyrian slave can find freedom in its smoky cities, but as a rule, Santyrians are rarely found in Vynnland - neither the climate not the culture suits them terribly well. Vynn's stance on Santyrian independence is one of sympathetic neutrality. Cevanti Santyrians generally serve as menial labor in Cevanti society. Those Santyrians fortunate enough to have escaped the Republic generally feel nothing but loathing for their 'masters', and wage a shadow war for Santyrian independence against the Republic. *